The Wizard of Christchurch

Every town has its mayor, its priest, its local police chief. But not all of them have a wizard. In that respect, Christchurch, New Zealand, is unique. Or at least it was until Brackenbury Channell was fired.

Channell appeared on Christchurch’s town square in 1974. He climbed to the top of a ladder and began speaking about magic, charms, and dispensed blessings to bystanders. Since then, his presence has become constant. At first, local police tried to dislodge him, but after all, even they were growing fond of that strange figure with a thick beard, wearing a long pointed hat. The city government granted him a free outdoor performance space, and Channell became so famous that he attracted tourists from all over the country. The New Zealand Art Gallery Directors Association said he had become a “Living Work of Art” and, in 1990, Prime Minister Mike Moore wrote to him:

I suggest therefore that you should urgently consider my suggestion that you become the Wizard of New Zealand, Antarctica and relevant offshore areas … no doubt there will be implications in the area of spells, blessings, curses, and other supernatural matters that are beyond the competence of mere Prime Ministers.

However, Channell was content to become the official wizard of Christchurch. In 1998, the municipality offered him a salary of $16,000 a year and a contract to “provide acts of wizardry and other wizard-like-services.” But today, at the age of 88, the wizard no longer wields the charm he once did. In October 2021 the city council fired him. The decision was made after Channell allegedly made offensive statements towards women on various public occasions. Nevertheless, part of the local community defends him, and he says he is ready to fight with all his energy to get his role back.

Photos: Mikhail Nilov (Pexels) — Nathanael Coyne (Flickr)